RSTS/E version numbers

[Paul Koning]

> On May 31, 2021, at 1:55 PM, Antonio Carlini <a.carlini at ntlworld.com> wrote:
> 
> On 31/05/2021 15:04, Paul Koning wrote:
>> 
>> The earlier rule was that the first number is the major version, the letter is the minor version.  As of V7 it changed to major number dot minor number.  In either case, the dash number suffix is the baselevel number (development build cycle number).  Those typically restart at 0 or 1 for each release, so V5C-01 indicates only one baselevel was done for that minor release.  That may not be true in all cases; I doubt that V4B had 17 baselevels so that number probably wasn't reset between V4A and V4B.
> Looking at them I guess RT-11 does something similar: V2, V02B, V02C. I can (just about :-)) cope with the seemingly optional leading 0, but would there have been a V2A? There was for IAS. Actually IAS had V3, V3.1, V3.2, V3.2A, V3.2B and V3.2C. So IAS went major.minor in a sort of half-hearted way :-)
> 
>> Sometimes version numbers seem to be missing.  I don't know if anyone ever saw V1, and I also never saw V3B though I have seen V3A and V3C.
>> 
> The "80th Birthday Memo" (http://www.silverware.co.uk/rsts_80th_birthday.htm) says that V1 never made it out of the door. V2A-19 was the first to ship.
> 
> The "DEC 1957 to he Present" book (http://gordonbell.azurewebsites.net/digital/dec%201957%20to%20present%201978.pdf) confirms the FY in which RSTS-11 shipped but not the version number.
> 
> The earliest manuals online seem to be the V4.x ones available on bitsavers.

Yes, which makes experiments with older versions a bit tricky because the startup dialog is different (and cryptic).  I have the basic info somewhere, I should write it up.

	paul